Advantageous Promises
by iviscrit
Summary: Kuvira just wants to enjoy her honeymoon, but Baatar keeps exploiting a promise she made in her wedding vows, making it impossible. Oneshot. Baavira. Complete.


"Well, this looks wonderful."

Baatar shut the doors to the suite, smiling as he watched Kuvira push back the curtains from the large window overlooking the city. "Try to curb your enthusiasm."

She turned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sorry... was I supposed to say something about how romantic the setting is, how ecstatic I am to be here with you, and something highly provocative considering our reason for being here?"

Baatar laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her against his chest. "Please don't say something provocative," he entreated, kissing her temple. "As for the rest... it _would_ be nice, once in a while."

"I'll try and humor you," she replied, interlacing her fingers with his. They had chosen Seagull Island as the location for their honeymoon, as it was among the Earth Kingdom states that had remained loyal to the empire, even after their military failure in the United Republic. A small tourist destination in Seagull Island was the agreed-upon site after countless nights of deliberation. "After all," Kuvira had said, tiredly flinging yet another travel brochure into the wastebasket, "it would be awkward to go to Republic City or Kyoshi after all that we did there..."

"Somehow I doubt we'd be poorly received if we went as newlyweds," Baatar wheedled. "I think the mecha-tanks and the colossus might have offended some people, but we aren't bringing any of those."

"Right...of course we aren't.."

He had looked at her sharply. "Kuvira, if you have any plans of trying to reconquer Earth Kingdom territories, I _will_ call off the wedding."

Baatar had ultimately taken over the honeymoon planning, choosing the resort, devising the itinerary, and arranging for their transportation to the quaint little coastal town where they would spend the first two weeks of their married life together. Now, finally standing at the balcony of their suite a married couple, the moment seemed surreal. It overlooked the southern Daichi Sea just beyond the little tourist attractions of the beachfront town, with a scenic mountain range to the west and a jutting peninsular outlook just within visible range in the distance. The turquoise water was clear to the point that the tropical fish darting through seemed to be just below the surface. Colorful reefs hemmed the carved pathway to a secluded lagoon a short walk from the resort, shaded by a canopy of palm trees. Large boulders had been moved into the area to direct the flow of water from the sea, creating a small waterfall in the lagoon, and the natural flora draped over them in delicate tendrils with small yellow flowers. The boulders were tall, secluding the pool from the rest of the beach, and hollows had been carved into the stone to make room for little lanterns that lit up the area at night. "It's private," Baatar had whispered into her hair as they received the tour of the area upon their arrival, his hand in hers. "Reserved _exclusively_ for resort guests..."

"The passageway is accessible to anyone leaving the hotel," she had retorted. "That's not private, that's an exhibition accident waiting to happen." She winced when he deflated slightly, giving his hand an affirming squeeze. "It is nauseatingly romantic; I love your choice of location," she added, leaning her head against his shoulder as their guide droned on about the various hot spots in the area.

The suit was expansive, but their luggage was late in its arrival. Kuvira immediately was drawn to the balcony, looking at the scenery from her vantage point. The salty ocean breeze was already beginning to wreak havoc on her hair, the humidity made her desperately in need of a shower, and her clothing options were limited to the contents of her carry-on bag until the rest of their luggage was delivered. It was only noon, and Kuvira already found herself wondering how quickly the two weeks would pass. She frowned when she felt Baatar's arms around her, feeling uncomfortably warm in the heat, but felt delicate about asking him to let go. After all, less than twenty-four hours ago she had vowed to love him forever, to ensure that he smiled every day, and to never bring anything other than joy to his life. The scar on his jaw was a constant reminder of how close she had come to losing him, and at the time, promising to never hurt him or dampen his spirits seemed the proper thing for a loving bride to say.

Baatar was taking far too much advantage of that promise, however. And they'd only been married a day.

"Why don't we walk along the shore?" he suggested, turning her around to face him. "Or we could explore the town, maybe get lunch.."

"Honestly, I'd rather shower and take a nap," Kuvira said. "It's been a long morning of traveling, and I didn't sleep much last night.. wouldn't you rather relax?"

"We can do that later," he said. "We should try that Fire Nation restaurant, it has your favorite-"

"Baatar, I'm not in the mood to go wandering around in this humidity," she said. "It's hot outside, I'm tired, my hair is starting to _curl_..."

"You look beautiful."

"You say that so often it's losing meaning." His face fell, and for a moment Kuvira felt a prick of guilt. That feeling was dispelled in seconds as a sly smile spread over his features instead.

"You're hurting my feelings," he said with a theatrical sigh. "You promised to never hurt me again-"

Her eye twitched. "_That_ excuse? You're stooping to _that_ excuse already? We've been here an hour!"

Baatar merely grinned. "Please? It would make me the happiest man alive... and you did promise..."

"Fine." She yanked her hands from his. "I'm going to shower first."

"Wonderful," he said, rifling through their bag and pulling out a casual chiffon dress. "You know, I'm glad our luggage got delayed, it means your clothing options are limited... I rarely get to see you in dresses."

Kuvira swore, snatching the dress from him and disappearing into the bathroom. "I hate you."

"Need any help?" She slammed the door in response, and Baatar laughed again as he pictured her sitting in the large tiled bathing tub, her face red as she quite literally stewed with rage. He flipped through one of the resort travel guides while he waited, his expression softening when she emerged after what was a suspiciously long bath, her skin pink and her hair braided down her back. "You look beautiful," he said. The dress was long, made of a flowing coral chiffon that reminded him of one her costumes during her days in Su's dance troupe. It was gathered in the chest but low in the back, and the color complemented her complexion well.

"That's a new one," she said sarcastically. "So, sightseeing. Shall we?" she said, her voice resigned as she took his arm.

Baatar kissed her. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

o0o

After lunch, wandering the little shops and stalls in the town, and a walk along the beach, Kuvira found her temper growing increasingly short. Baatar was maddeningly happy about the whole thing, but her feet were sore, the dress was a hindrance with the constant breeze, and her hair was beginning to curl again. "My feet hurt," she said, opting for a petulant expression and a pitiful tone.

"Want me to carry you?"

"I'd rather just go back to our room," she said, walking her fingers up his arm. "Maybe have a drink on the balcony and watch the sun set.."

"It is pretty humid," he conceded. "Oh, why don't we go to the lagoon and cool off? They light the candles at night, we'd have the place all to ourselves..."

Kuvira groaned. "Why are you fixated on the lagoon? We have two weeks! Can't it wait?"

Baatar raised an eyebrow. "But it would bring me so much joy, Kuvira."

"Don't you dare," she said, a warning in her voice. "Don't even say it-"

"I mean, you already said you hated me," he said sadly, "and you can always bend the passageway shut if you want more privacy-"

"You're insufferable," Kuvira snapped. "Are you going to keep this up for the whole honeymoon?"

He scooped her up in his arms in response, and she felt her scowl dissipate a bit in spite of herself. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The lagoon was empty, and in the moonlight she had to admit that the setting was beautiful. For the first time since their arrival, Kuvira was able to genuinely enjoy herself. The water was cool against her skin, and evening breeze was soothing. They drifted in the clear water, diving under to marvel at the marine life that flourished along the reefs and reclining on stone that she sculpted into the shape of a chaise lounge with her bending. "Can you believe it?" Baatar murmured, his hand idly tracing circles on her arm. "It took a while longer than we intended, but we're finally married. I can't wrap my mind around it."

"It does feel a bit surreal," she said, leaning against him. "I don't know what I did to deserve this."

He kissed her in response. "Oh, you've done a lot of things..."

Kuvira smiled against his lips, suddenly pulling back as a different implication dawned on her. "That sounded like a threat." She ran a fingertip over the raised scar tissue that permanently marked his jaw. "How long are you planning on milking this?"

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

Her eyes narrowed. "I know what you're doing."

Baatar ignored her, pulling her onto his lap as he sat up. "Good."

"You know, I meant more along the lines of major life events," she said, maintaining her focus even as he made his way to her jaw. "You're being a bit of a dic-"

"I thought you loved me," he said, a fiendish glint in his eye. "I suppose that was short lived..."

"All right, I'm out of here," she said, extricating herself from his grasp. "You're making this a living hell." She could hear his laughter as she splashed out of the lagoon onto the smooth tile walkway.

"Are you going back to the room?" he asked, following her and wrapping her in a towel. "Good, I think our luggage ought to be there by now."

"I'm _not_ wearing any of those ridiculous pieces you included from the trousseau," Kuvira said firmly. "Your siblings are no better than you, and I'm fairly certain Opal got my size wrong."

"I hadn't thought of that," Baatar said pensively. "That's an excellent idea, thanks for the reminder.."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "What have I done..."

"Well, for a start, you delayed our wedding by two years when you decided to blow up the warehouse-"

"I was being rhetorical!" she exploded, smacking him on the chest. "And it's far too soon to joke about that."

Baatar caught her around the waist. "You make it too easy. So, did you want to order in?"

"Yes," Kuvira said. "Actually, yes, that sounds wonderful."

"That's a shame," Baatar said sweetly, "because I was hoping you'd want to have dinner on one of the boats with me. They take you out nearly as far as the peninsula and there are little hanging lanterns on the prow... it'll be like that evening in Juroo, when I proposed."

A vein pulsed in her forehead. "That would be lovely," she said carefully. "Wouldn't you rather save that for another day? I've been in a crappy mood, I wouldn't want to spoil it."

"Well," he said, pulling the ends of her towel and dragging her to him as they neared the steps to their room, "it would make me feel like the luckiest man alive-"

"Nice try." Kuvira said. "You already tried that in town. Be a bit more original."

"Well, that was hurtful," he said, frowning as he cast around for some variant of the excuse he'd used for the entire day. "Um..."

"Don't push it, Baatar."

He smirked. "But you said you'd never hurt me again-"

o0o

"Ouch! Watch it." He made a face. "You know, you said you'd never hurt me again."

"I'm sorry," Kuvira said loudly for the umpteenth time. "To be fair, you had it coming..."

"I suppose," Baatar said, wincing as she pressed the ice to his cheek. "Did you really have to go for the side you already marked up, though?"

"I didn't want to mess up even more of this," she said, vaguely gesturing to his unscarred cheek. "Although if I'm perfectly honest, you make the scar look attractive." She nudged his knees apart as she adjusted the ice pack, her spare arm resting along his shoulders.

"So you were trying to give me another, got it," Baatar observed drily. "Are you at least happy you got to order in after all?"

"Very much so," she said. "Are you happy it took me eight hours to finally snap?"

He rested his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. "I was very impressed." He nudged her hand at his face away. "I think it's fine now, Kuvira. The swelling has to go down on its own."

She sat on his knee, her right arm still hooked around his shoulders. "I probably set a new record... it literally took me a day to break my vows." She pressed a kiss to the scar. "I regret nothing, you deserved that and worse."

"No, I went too far," he admitted. "Thank you for dealing with me."

"That seems par for the course as far as marriage goes," Kuvira said. "Thank you for not giving up on me," she added, looking at him through lowered lashes. "Regardless of what I say, I don't hate you."

"That's the best you can do?" Baatar said. "Very romantic-"

She cupped his cheek with her free hand, turning his face to hers and kissing him. For a moment his breath caught in his chest, but he responded in kind, one arm drawing her closer while his other hand dragged her robe down her shoulder. Her hand raked through his hair and trailed down the length of his jaw and neck, her finger hooking on the collar of his shirt. "Better?" she murmured, pulling back for a moment and allowing them to catch their breath.

"Much," he said, closing the gap between them again and lifting her as he maneuvered his way to a more comfortable position on the bed. "Although, if you _really_ want to make me happy..."

"Unless you _really_ don't mind the loss of your limbs, you'd better think long and hard," Kuvira said, propping herself up on her elbows.

"I was just going to say I love you, Kuvira," he said, moving a piece of hair from her face. "And if it wouldn't kill you or cost me my limbs to hear it back-"

She cut off his words with another kiss, her breath warm against his face. "I love you too," she said softly, her gentle tone quickly hardening. "But don't you dare pull this crap again."

He laughed, returning her advances. The curtains moved lazily against the open window in the night air, and the stars were mirrored in the ocean as Kuvira finally made good on her promise, ungrudgingly for the first time as the day came to a close.

* * *

**A/N: Hehehehe. I'm trash. I wanted a fic where Baatar gains agency... and I came up with this instead. Oops?**


End file.
